The Political History of Italy Essays -- History of Italy Essays

The political history of Italy is quite extensive. The Greeks were the first to settle in Italy and established colonies in the southern part of the country and in Sicily. There was not a sense of political reality as much as there was a civilization (Windows on Italy- History). While the Greeks controlled the south the Gauls, or Celtic people, ruled the north and the Po Valley. But the most important group to settle in Italy was the Etruscans. Because of their advanced civilization, the Etruscans were the only ones to establish political and cultural ideas before the Roman Empire (Windows on Italy- History). At the end of the Etruscans rule, Rome began a unification of Italy and established Latin to be the general language (Defusco). By 6th century BC, the city of Rome came into power. During this growing power, Rome began fighting other civilizations to expand its territory. Amongst these populations was Rome’s long time friend Carthage. Rome soon became greedy and made war on Carthage in the Second Punic War (Defusco). The Punic Wars lead Rome to gain territories along the Mediterranean basin. At the end of the Third Punic War, Rome defeated Carthage and became the major Mediterranean military power (Windows on Italy- History). In all of Rome’s defeats, Greece was the most significant. The Romans adopted Greek customs and ideas as their own. This changed the society of Rome by developing a new culture and way of thinking. The Roman Empire was soon developed by the ideas of Augustus, leading to a more democratic way of governing. The Empire created an expansion of Roman civilization by its leaders conquering other civilizations. The Empire ruled for many years under many different Emperors. During this time there was a mixture of rule between a hereditary Emperor and a Senate. With the fall of the Empire after the death of Theodosius, Italy was then attack from neighboring civilizations in the north and west. These invasions soon lead to the rising of power in individual city-states (Defusco). The citizens of the cities abolished the ideas of feudalism and searched for their own identity. Their searching lead to violent acts amongst themselves in determining who should govern, but despite the fighting, each city contributed greatly to the economy and helped to raise the cultural energy of Rome (Defusco). By the year 1861, a unified Italy was... ...e the beginning of its unification, Italy has battled with the differences of the north and south. It will take a long time to achieve economic stability in the south, but one that must be reached in order to increase the economic growth for the whole country. With its strong nationalistic views, Italy is well on its way to achieving its goals. Works Cited CIA-World Factbook-Italy. 2001. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/it.html (26 Nov. 2001). Defusco. Italy-Culture and History. 2001. http://www.defusco.ch/en2_italy.html (26 Nov. 2001). Electric Library. Columbia University Press: 2001. http://www.encyclopedia.com/articlesnews/06518.html (26 Nov. 2001). Embassy of Italy in the United States. Washington D.C.: 2001. http://www.italyemb.org (26 Nov. 2001). U.S. Department of State. 2001. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/index.cfm?docid=4033 (26 Nov. 2001). Windows on Italy-the Constitution. Italian National Research Council: 2001. http://www.mi.cnr.it/WOI/deagosti/constitu/const1.html (26 Nov. 2001). Windows on Italy-the History. Italian National Research Council: 2001. http://www.mi.cnr.it/WOI/deagosti/history/tribes.html (26 Nov. 2001).

Public’s perception of police Essay

Do you think the events of September 11, 2001, changed the public’s perception of police? Explain how and why. One believes the public perception has swayed from good to bad over years. For instance, right after the September 11th terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, the mass loss of civilians, police, as well as fire department personnel gained public sympathy. The Cypress Times explains, â€Å"It remains the deadliest day in U.S. law enforcement history: 72 peace officers killed in the line of duty during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001† (Kouri, 2011). The public saw the loss of departments as well as law enforcement officers as heroes for the courage of trying to attempt to save lives and dyeing in action. These individuals were no longer just the people one would try to avoid such as with traffic tickets, these were the individuals society would recognize and come to thank. However, as society is not just one person and includes the minds of many came m uch debate. Along with such massive plot to kill Americans included the matter of who to blame for such attacks. Was the blame toward the lack of airport security and personnel by the airport police, the President of the United States or for the hijackers? Despite the blame game many laws were indeed enforced after the September 11th attacks on United States soil. The League for Revolutionary Party illustrates, Perhaps, many thought, September 11 would mark the beginning of a time when all Americans would stand together in unity and equality†¦. politicians passed new laws like the â€Å"USA Patriot Act† that greatly expanded police powers to spy, arrest and interrogate suspects (League for Revolutionary Party, 2011). Indeed, as many laws aim to help, one believes this would give police officers more leeway to employ powers of police actions. The League for Revolutionary Party further illustrates, â€Å"The pro-cop atmosphere fostered after September 11 gave the police a green light to beat, shoot and kill without fear of punishment or even much attention† (League for Revolutionary Party, 2011). One believes this is somewhat accurate as the attacks are very much imprinted in many individual minds, however, the thankful attitude of Americans shifted fast from the heroes of that day to the heroes that are currently deployed because of the September 11th attacks. No matter what there will always be bad cops; there were some before September 11th and after September 11th. The attacks had an effect but despite the attacks much of the public will believe police racially profile or are the bad guys that just give individuals tickets. Despite opinions, officers are there to serve and protect. References: Kouri, K. (2011, August 20). 72 Police Officers Killed On 9/11 To Be Remembered On 10th Anniversary. Retrieved from http://www.thecypresstimes.com League for Revolutionary Party. (2011, Fall). Police Terror since September 11. Retrieved from http://www.Irp-cofi.org

History of the Domestication of Chocolate

There is currently some debate as to how many species of cacao (Theobroma spp) exist in the world or ever did. Recognized varieties identified (and debated) include Theobroma cacao ssp. cacao (called Criollo and found throughout Central America); T. cacao spp. sphaerocarpum (called Forastero and found in the northern Amazon basin); and a hybrid of the two called Trinitario. Recent genetic studies suggest that all forms of cacao are simply versions of Forastero. If true, cacao originated in the upper Amazon of Colombia and Ecuador and was brought to central America by human intervention. Ethnographic studies in the northern Amazon revealed that cacao use there was confined to the production of cacao chicha (beer) from the fruit, not from processing the beans. Earliest Use of Chocolate The earliest known evidence for cacao bean use was located outside of the Amazon basin and dates between about 1900-1500 BC. Researchers investigated residues on the interior of several bowls dated to the earliest societies in Mesoamerica using mass spectrometry and discovered evidence of Theobromine within a tecomate at Paso de la Amada, a Mokaya site in southern Chiapas, Mexico. They also found a bowl testing positive for Theobromine from the El Manati Olmec site in Veracruz, dated roughly 1650-1500 BC. Other archaeological sites with early evidence of chocolate use include Puerto Escondido, Honduras, about 1150 BC, and Colha, Belize, between 1000-400 BC. Chocolate Innovations It seems clear that the innovation to plant and tend cacao trees is a Mesoamerican invention. Until recently, scholars believed that, since the Maya word kakaw originates from the Olmec language, the Olmec must have been the progenitors of this delicious liquid. However, recent archaeological studies at Puerto Escondido in Honduras suggest that the original steps towards domestication of cacao happened before the rise of the Olmec civilization when Honduras was in active trade with the Soconusco region. Archaeological sites with evidence for early chocolate domestication include Paso de la Amada (Mexico), El Manati (Mexico), Puerto Escondido (Honduras), Batsub Cave (Belize), Xunantunich (Guatemala), Rio Azul (Guatemala), Colha (Belize). Sources Fowler, William R.Jr.1993 The living pay for the dead: Trade, exploitation, and social change in early colonial Isalco, El Salvador. In Ethnohistory and Archaeology: Approaches to Postcontact Change in the Americas. J. D. Rogers and Samuel M. Wilson, eds. Pp. 181-200. New York: Plenum Press.Gasco, Janine 1992 Material culture and colonial Indian society in southern Mesoamerica: the view from coastal Chiapas, Mexico. Historical Archaeology 26(1):67-74.Henderson, John S., et al. 2007 Chemical and archaeological evidence for the earliest cacao beverages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(48):18937-18940Joyce, Rosemary A. and John S. Henderson 2001 Beginnings of Village Life in Eastern Mesoamerica. Latin American Antiquity 12(1):5-23.Joyce, Rosemary A. and John S. Henderson 2007 From Feasting to Cuisine: Implications of Archaeological Research in an Early Honduran Village. American Anthropologist 109(4):642-653.LeCount, Lisa J. 2001 Like water for chocolate: Feasting an d political ritual among the Late Classic Maya at Xunantunich, Belize. American Anthropologist 103(4):935-953.McAnany, Patricia A. and Satoru Murata 2007 Americas first connoisseurs of chocolate. Food and Foodways 15:7-30.Motamayor, J. C., A. M. Risterucci, M. Heath, and C. Lanaud 2003 Cacao domestication II: Progenitor germplasm of the Trinitario cacao cultivar. Heredity 91:322-330.Motamayor, J. C., et al. 2002 Cacao domestication I: the origin of the cacao cultivated by the Mayas. Heredity 89:380-386.Norton, Marcy 2006 Tasting empire: Chocolate and the European internalization of Mesoamerican aesthetics. American Historical Review 111(2):660-691.Powis, Terry G., et al. 2008 The origins of cacao use in Mesoamerica. Mexicon 30:35-38.Prufer, Keith M. and W. J. Hurst 2007 Chocolate in the Underworld Space of Death: Cacao Seeds from an Early Classic Mortuary Cave. Ethnohistory 54(2):273-301.